A Light, Even in the Ultimate Darkness
by Rytex
Summary: Sequel to When All the Battles Have Ended.  Second of my End of All Things Trilogy.  As Link and company continue searching for Ganondorf, they discover that what happened centuries ago is affecting the present world in many unpredicted ways.
1. Keyblade

**Hello everyone. As promised, I have this story uploaded by the end of the month of March. As a prerequisite to reading this, you should have a) read my story _When All the Battles Have Ended_, and b) played Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (or at least watched the epic fight video about it).**

**Much of this story revolves around the prequel, so I encourage you to hurry up and read it (and, for God's sake, REVIEW! I have 2k hits, and over 1.5k visits, but only 4 stinkin' reviews!). This story does require some recollection of what happened in WATBHE. For those of you too lazy to read my story, here's basically what's up with each character.**

**Rytex - In Sora's heart, recovering. His body has been stolen by Ganondorf.  
>Link and co. (you'll see) - Currently in Cryonia, seeking advice from Bahamut about the matter.<br>You - Sitting at your computer (or with your mobile device), reading this story, not giving a care about what I have to say about reviewing. Hell, you probably aren't even reading this. If you are, CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GOT NOTHING BUT SOME CHEAP HUMOR!  
>Me - Sitting here, claiming that I do not own Zelda. I really wish it were the opposite.<br>Shigeru Miyamoto - What the? He's not a character! But he DOES own Zelda. Damn, I wish I were him, the lucky man.  
>Octorock - About to be eaten by CD-I Link.<br>King of Hyrule - Currently wondering what is for dinner.**

**Anyway, enjoy the story. Now, this story is not meant to be as long as WATBHE. In fact, it's WAAAYYYY shorter. There are 4 chapters that are short also, so just bear with me until I get the last story out, and I'll be posting it one chapter a week, starting probably in the summer.**

**For now, enjoy A Light, Even in the Ultimate Darkness.  
><strong>

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>Chapter 1: Keyblade<br>Link jolted awake in his bed in Pravoka.  
>Nightmares of what had transpired weeks ago had plagued him. He saw Rytex's spirit be pulled into the abyss, Ganondorf laughing at him in Rytex's body, and above all, the knowledge that he had failed his friend.<br>He closed his eyes as a solitary tear trickled down the curve between the left side of his face and his nose.  
>He wiped it off quickly, then yawned. Today was the day they would meet Bahamut on the topic of what had happened to Rytex.<br>He got up, started to put on a green tunic, then saw the cloak he had worn during his brief stay in Hyrule when he had wanted to stay hidden from King Rolynd, who had wanted to steal his Triforce of Courage. Only a week and a half ago, he had fought the king to realize that it was actually Ganondorf, who had been after his usual goal. But he had another plan in mind. The Sages were due to execute Ganondorf at the time, and if that came to pass, the spirit that lived on inside King Rolynd that had corrupted him, which was a portion of Ganondorf's spirit, would vanish. So he invaded Rytex's body, forced out Rytex's spirit, and then banished Rytex's spirit to what he called the "Ultimate Darkness."  
>Lost in memory, he shook himself out of it, and then donned the black cloak.<br>He exited the house after kissing the sleeping Malon lightly on the cheek.  
>Exsan, with his black and silver hair arranged haphazardly and grey eyes with a deep apprehension behind them, and Rega, with his black hair neat and green eyes calm.<br>"Shall we?" he asked them.  
>They nodded.<br>They began to leave town when they were joined by Rytex's wife Xemyli, with brown hair and brown eyes, as well as Axel and Demyx, two friends of theirs. Another friend, Sean, joined up.  
>They left town and began to trudge up Draco Peak slowly. When they neared the top, they heard a deep rumble as Bahamut granted them entry.<br>Link and the others stepped into the large room. In front of them stood the great blue old dragon king Bahamut.  
>Bahamut looked at them, and then uttered a growl as they heard his voice in their heads.<br>"As I said yesterday, I would help shed light on what happened to Rytex. Now, tell me what has happened."  
>Link began to relate everything that happened after they had left Pravoka three weeks ago."<br>He found it difficult to relate the parts he so hated and was haunted by, but he forced himself to do it. Bahamut considered the matter for a long while.  
>"Hmm... So Ganondorf has possessed him. However, it is not a traditional possession. I know little on the topic personally. Also, there is the matter of that key. Do you know anything about it?"<br>"No." said Link. Everyone else shook their heads except Axel.  
>"Well, I have heard a supposed legend about a Keyblade or something..." he said.<br>"A Keyblade?" asked Demyx incredulously.  
>"That's a fairy tale, Axel." said Sean.<br>"Yeah, well, Cryonia's a fairy tale to the whole kingdom of Hyrule." he countered.  
>"He has a point." said Link.<br>"They say that the Keyblades are objects that choose masters in order that they may be used to combat darkness. But most Keyblades are created artificially and imbued with power. Real Keyblades are supposedly ethereal and more powerful than any artificial Keyblade. Then there's this one Keyblade that's more powerful than any normal real one. It's a physical, tangible blade and it's called the χ-blade."  
>"Another Keyblade?" asked Link, confused.<br>"No." said Bahamut.  
>A holographic X-shape appeared in the air in front of Bahamut's face.<br>"Chi. An ancient letter used by civilizations long before yours. Some people pronounce it as 'kye,' but the meaning remains the same."  
>"So what's the difference between a Keyblade and the χ-Blade?" asked Link.<br>"Aside from the fact that normal Keyblades are ethereal when the χ-Blade is tangible, Keyblades can lock or unlock the spirits of people. However, the χ-Blade can unlock not just the souls of people, but the Door to the Ultimate Darkness. Then there's supposedly a second blade that can close the Door. It is referred to in legend as the ω-Blade."  
>"The Omega-Blade?" asked Sean.<br>"Precisely. It is called that because it is supposedly a fusion of Keyblades to combat the χ-Blade. It and the χ-Blade are equal in strength, and therefore, the wielders' skill is what is required to win the battle. If the ω-Blade defeats the χ-Blade, the Door to the Ultimate Darkness will close and be sealed again."  
>"What is the Ultimate Darkness?" asked Exsan.<br>"I know not what it is exactly. Only legends or stories of it."  
>"At least tell us those." said Link.<br>Bahamut snorted.  
>"Your courage and determination to save your friend is admirable. The Ultimate Darkness supposedly is a realm of pure darkness that exists opposite the Realm of Light that we are in. There is a Realm of Nothingness in between the two, and it is called the Dark Meridian. The Dark Meridian is also sometimes referred to as the Realm of the In-Between. In the Realm of Light, the Dark Meridian was accessible through different portals in days long gone, but now only one such portal remains. It exists within the depths of this mountain. Strange things often happen in it that affect both realms, because it houses two gates to these realms."<br>"So we can save Rytex by going through this Dark Meridian to the gate to the Realm of Darkness?" asked Link  
>"No. The gate was sealed shut by Keyblade Masters long ago. The legends say one Keyblade Master had attempted to release the darkness upon the Realm of Light. He was defeated, then the gate was sealed shut."<br>"Why did he try to release Darkness upon the Light?" asked Exsan.  
>"Because the world was created when Darkness and Light collided. The Darkness blanketed the land once, but the Three Golden Goddesses, filled with the Light, created the land. Ever since, Darkness and Light have been in perfect balance. Whenever someone threatens that balance, someone full of the opposite stops him. If someone were to become too powerful and defeat the one trying to stop him, the Darkness would blanket the Light and destroy it all. If Light is destroyed, Darkness will vanish as well. However, with both gone, Nothingness will cover the land, give birth to darkness, and restart the cycle."<br>"So this man wanted to recreate the world?" asked Link.  
>"And with the great power of Darkness on his side, he would be given power by this Nothingness and would become like a God. He would've ruled over the new world."<br>Everyone looked at Link, and they all thought the same thing.  
>"It seems that what you have just said is Ganondorf's goal. He wants to rebuild the world and rule it as a God." Link said.<br>Bahamut nodded.  
>"However, the Door to the Ultimate Darkness was sealed. The only thing that can open that Door now is the χ-Blade. To create the χ-Blade, he needs a soul of pure Light and a soul of pure Darkness to fight. The souls must have equal power when they battle, and when they do, the χ-Blade will be forged. When it is forged, Ganondorf will then go to unseal the Door."<br>"One more question: Who can stop Ganondorf before he gets the χ-Blade?" asked Link.  
>"Ganondorf has possessed Rytex's body and he has forced out the light in his soul. He has become a being of pure darkness. That means, if Ganondorf gains control over the χ-Blade, and he has emerged victorious over the one whose soul is pure light, only one with a heart in balance with Light and Darkness will have to fight him. Otherwise, the resulting person would cause an imbalance of power in Ganondorf's soul, having absorbed the light from another, and possibly cause another Ruin and Creation."<br>"Another Ruin?"  
>Bahamut opened his mouth to say more, but before he could, a corridor of darkness appeared and Rytex stepped out of it. He laughed evilly in Ganondorf's voice.<br>"I let you teach them about my plan, but no teaching them how to stop it now." he said, wagging a finger at the dragon.  
>The dragon snarled as everyone else drew weapons.<br>"If you want to find the only person who can find me, you have to go find the person Rytex is residing in, for it is Rytex himself who can stop me." Ganondorf said, laughing at the end.  
>"What?" asked Link.<br>"I had originally intended to send him into someone a little weaker than myself so that I could overpower him physically and take the χ-Blade for myself, but when I went to search for his soul within the Ultimate Darkness, he wasn't there. I fear he found a host. If you want to stop me, you'll have to find him and whoever he's with. That person, though, is the heart of pure Light, because Rytex's soul is now pure Light, which means he can only associate with one like him."  
>Ganondorf laughed.<br>"And I'll be right there when it happens to fight the person and claim the χ-Blade for myself!"  
>Bahamut roared and opened his maw. A great ball of blue flame appeared and shot at Ganondorf.<br>Ganondorf smiled evilly and vanished from sight.  
>Link gasped when he saw Ganondorf again.<br>Ganondorf had stabbed Bahamut in the heart with the Blood Sword.  
>"Hahahahaha! No one shall stand in my way!"<br>The dragon roared, but instead of dying, black flames appeared around it and Bahamut vanished, much the same way King Rolynd had.  
>Instantly, Link knew what had happened. Ganondorf had used the Blood Sword to steal Bahamut's power. Bahamut would now vanish into darkness.<br>Bahamut let out one last roar of anger before he vanished completely into Darkness.  
>Ganondorf laughed as he flourished the Blood Sword.<br>"Too easy." said Ganondorf.  
>Link lunged at Ganondorf with the Master Sword, intending to impale him, but Ganondorf vanished into another corridor of darkness.<br>Link shook with anger.  
>"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" he shouted.<br>He noticed everyone look at him, concerned, but then he felt the power leave him suddenly.  
>He looked around wildly while the others gasped and pointed.<br>Link looked.  
>There, in his hands, was an ethereal Keyblade.<hr>

**How did you enjoy Chapter 1? PLEASE REVIEW!1!**


	2. Shadows of the Past

**Chapter 2 is in Rytex's Point of View. He is still in Sora's Heart, but this stuff that he's receiving has major impact on the rest of the story. This is mostly based on Birth by Sleep, but it does have major implications later.**

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>Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past<br>Memories floated inside of Rytex's mind, though they did not belong to him. His heart had begun to heal as he lived on inside of Sora. He learned much from the memories, but one question plagued his mind. Who did they belong to? There was a figure like Ryet in them, but these look as though they took place centuries ago.  
>-X-<br>"Today, you will be tested for the Mark of Mastery. Not one, but two of the Keyblade's Chosen stand before me today. This is neither a contest nor a battle for supremacy. It is merely a test to see whether you have achieved mastery over the Keyblade. One of you may succeed or the other. Both of you may succeed or neither." said the younger of the men before them.  
>The first person, a man with long spiky brown hair that stuck back, and a chiseled face with blue eyes bared his Keyblade. It was long, with uneven teeth around it.<br>The other, a boy younger, thinner, and shorter than he, with shorter spiky brown hair and blue eyes bared his Keyblade also. His was short, with three teeth arranged in an asterisk shape.  
>They began to duel, with the older boy fighting more aggressively. The younger boy dodged and struck in a more defensive approach, sometimes going on the offensive.<br>They dueled for several minutes before the older boy managed to land a blow launching the other dueler back. Instead of landing hard on the ground, the boy back flipped, then shot off the wall he hit and knocked the Keyblade from his hands.  
>Finally, the officiator said "Stop."<br>The two boys stopped.  
>"Master Ganon and I have conferred throughout the duel. The victor was undoubtedly Ryet, but Panadorf showed Mastery as well. Congratulations. We have decided to award you both the rank of Keyblade Master." said the officiator, applauding them. He had black hair tied into a ponytail, with one jagged black bang hanging in front if his face. He was old, but still strong. His face had two scars, one on his cheek and one on his eye. He wore a white coat. The other man was older, bald, with a white beard, though with a few solitary red strands, and amber eyes. He wore a white coat as well, but his was open, showing a black pad of metal.<br>They both clapped for them.  
>"Panadorf, you showed admirable fortitude when fighting. I could sense a great darkness inside you, fighting to be released, yet your light prevented it from doing so. Now, as Masters, I have a task for the two of you. Two countries have started to develop aside from us in the Land of Departure. You are to give them aid as they do so. Panadorf, I am asking you to go and provide help to King Daltus Harkinian as he unifies Hyrule. Master Ganon can sense that it will play an important role in the world's events in the distant future. Ryet, you will go to the castle of Cornelia, located far to the south of here. I can sense that the nation Cornelia will help to start will also play an important role in the world in the future."<br>Ryet nodded and Panadorf bowed.  
>They both exited the castle-like palace, followed closely by Master Ganon.<br>"Boy, Ryet." he said.  
>Ryet turned and raised an eyebrow.<br>"I sense a great future for you. You should be proud to be a Master at such a young age. I myself was not made a Master until I was nearly twenty-five years old."  
>He nodded curtly, then opened a white corridor, stepped inside, and vanished.<br>Panadorf smiled, waved at Ryet as he began to leave on the road south toward Crescent Lake Port. Ryet smiled and waved also as he followed a different path south, this time more west, toward Cornelia.  
>-X-<br>Ryet returned to the Land of Departure after assisting King Hecanta in uniting the surrounding land under one banner, namely the Kingdom of Cornelia. Three years had passed and he was about to meet Panadorf again.  
>Panadorf walked through the gates. Immediately, Ryet sensed a change. Panadorf seemed older, and not just in appearance. He seemed more mature and calmer since they had parted ways.<br>They greeted each other like old friends and walked inside.  
>Master Xehanort stood there, awaiting their arrival.<br>"Welcome back, Master Ryet and Master Panadorf. I trust everything went well?"  
>"Swimmingly." said Ryet.<br>"The same." said Panadorf.  
>"Excellent. Did either of you encounter any trouble?"<br>"Only a small amount, though Master Ganon aided me." said Panadorf.  
>Xehanort nodded briefly, then he hesitated.<br>"Panadorf, I sense that the darkness inside you has tempered somewhat. Have you been relying on it?" asked Xehanort sharply.  
>Panadorf nodded briefly.<br>"If by relying on it, you mean mixed it with the power of light, then yeah, I have."  
>Eraqus looked astounded.<br>"What madness is this! Panadorf, I thought you had enough sense to avoid the darkness!"  
>Panadorf grew angry.<br>"Darkness is nothing to fear! There is nothing wrong with it, and light and darkness must exist in balance anyway, else we risk another Ruin and Creation!" he protested.  
>"Another!" asked Xehanort.<br>"Yes. The Hylians have a legend about how this world was formed. They say a Keyblade wielder who was so steeped in light opened the Door to Ultimate Darkness, but because of his radical devotion to the light, it rejected and consumed him. Then it destroyed everything."  
>Xehanort stared at him.<br>"We are not called to be balanced ourselves. We are called to be a balancing of the scales. Should one with a heart of darkness appear, we are the ones who will stop him. I ask you to shun the darkness inside you, Panadorf. Do not give it a foothold or it will dominate you."  
>-X-<br>A month later, and they hadn't heard from Master Ganon in weeks.  
>"His silence is beginning to worry me. Panadorf, I want you to find him. Ryet, I need you to go and speak to Master Yen Sid in Tycoon. He may be able to shed some light on the recent occurrences. I sense the forces of darkness growing stronger with each passing moment, particularly in Hyrule. Something is happening there that will change the world."<hr>

**And change the world it will. R&R as usual.**


	3. Memories

**This chapter is shorter than most of the others, but it expands on Chapter 2. The Xs and Chis were really annoying to type on an iPod Touch. Anyway, on with the story.**

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>Chapter 3: Memories<br>As they sat around a table in Pravoka's pub, the Ten Pirates Tavern, they discussed on what to do. With Bahamut's death, Pravoka was in trouble. In the three days since Ganondorf had killed Bahamut, a panic seemed to take hold of the citizens of Pravoka. The dragons no longer had a king, and therefore, they were not united. They had to leave before things got ugly.  
>Ryet was on a trip to Cornelia and would be back soon.<br>When he did return, he had more than just alerted Princess Sara as to their condition and what had happened to Rytex, but he had apparently learned from her about an old wise man that could help them. Master Xehanort had been around for a long time, and according to Ryet, he probably knew a lot about what they were trying to learn about.  
>"But where is he?" asked Link.<br>"Well, according to Sara, he lives up in the mountains, near the North end of the Thamasa Basin."  
>"How do we get there?" asked Axel.<br>"That's easy. There's a trail through the Thamasa Basin that goes to it from Crescent Lake."  
>They set off.<br>As they walked, Ryet thought heavily about Xehanort and Ganondorf.  
>-X-<br>Ryet and Panadorf were nearing adulthood now. Panadorf still used powers of darkness for his missions, though he showed great fortitude and control over it, even going so far as to not allow it to gain even a foothold.  
>"I have grave news." said Xehanort one day.<br>"What is it?" asked Panadorf.  
>"Master Ganon. We have discovered that someone has kidnapped him, and they intend on holding him for ransom. They left a message, explaining their demands." he said, holding up a piece of parchment.<br>He read aloud.  
>"Ryet and Panadorf are to come to the Badlands. You are not to follow them, Master Xehanort. To them and only them will I reveal what it is I want. And trust me. I shall know if you follow. Χ."<br>"X?"  
>"No. Not X. Chi. I fear someone wishes to unleash another Ruin and Creation. I ask you to play along, but be discreet. If this man asks of anything unreasonable, you are to abandon it. I will want a report on this event. Something is happening that may have a connection to the gathering of the forces of darkness."<br>They bowed and left.  
>The Badlands were a place that existed on a separate realm from the one they were in.<br>"Ryet, wait, please." said Xehanort as they both walked out.  
>Ryet stopped.<br>"I have a feeling that Master Ganon is up to something." he said slowly after Ryet came back to him.  
>"Why?"<br>Xehanort sighed.  
>"Years ago, he revealed a plan to me, convinced that I would help him with it, as a friend. Years ago, we were studying the Keyblade War."<br>"The Keyblade War?"  
>"An ancient war, wrought by many Keyblade wielders of light and darkness who fought over the Door to the Ultimate Darkness. The ones who wielded powers of darkness wanted to forge the χ-blade so that they could open the door, while the wielders of light wanted to stop them. Eventually, the χ-blade was forged in battle, and the one who wielded it laid waste to every other Keyblade wielder. Everyone except one person. That one person defeated the wielder of the χ-blade through some unknown means, but the first man, with the last of his strength, opened the Door. He wrought a Ruin and destroyed much of that world, in an attempt to gain the powers of Nothingness. However, the second man destroyed him before he could complete the destruction, thus sealing that destroyed world of In-Between on a plane between us and the Door to the Ultimate Darkness. It is here that the Badlands exists."<br>"What does this have to do with Master Ganon?"  
>"Years ago, I came across a report he had written. It stated clearly that, if the Keyblade War brought about a better realm than what had been, then what if there was yet another Keyblade War? He stated that he knew that I would not step away from the light, so he opened his heart to darkness. When he tried to convince me, I was prepared to do what I had to, even kill my best friend to stop this."<br>Ryet's eyes widened.  
>"He lost control of the Darkness within him, sending a black fire at me. It caused the scars here." he said, gesturing at his face.<br>"He was horrified by the action and fled. Then he came back, with you. He told me what had happened. I asked you to stay behind because of two things. One, to reveal to you what you cannot remember, when you first came here. Master Ganon was your master, but then he stated that he tried to remove the darkness within you as an experiment."  
>Ryet gasped.<br>"I was his... guinea pig!"  
>"Not quite. You had a monstrous darkness in you, beyond that of anything we had ever heard of before. He tried to purge it from you. And so a being named-"<br>"Rytex." said Ryet automatically.  
>"Indeed. It seems your memory is returning. Yes, it was Rytex. Master Ganon tried to destroy him, but failed. It is possible that Rytex may be the one responsible for Master Ganon's kidnap. But there may be more to that. Master Ganon may not have given up on his ambition. Also, he seems to have been training Panadorf in the ways of Darkness. You must be on the watch for anything suspicious coming from him. He may have formed an alliance with Rytex in order to achieve his ambition of creating another Keyblade War."<br>"So you want me to keep an eye on Master Ganon and make sure Panadorf doesn't lose control?"  
>"Exactly."<br>Xehanort waved a hand. A white and blue bubble appeared in the air.  
>"Go now to the Badlands and see what is occurring."<hr>

**I decided to use Master Xehanort over Master Eraqus because I already mentioned Eraqus in my first story. At the time, it was a name to put in, but now it's kind of a fatal flaw in the story, making Xehanort a good guy... Anyway, R&R.**


	4. The Masters

**This is where the plot starts to thicken a little. Enjoy.**

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>Chapter 4: The Masters<br>Ryet came out of his reverie as they started to climb the mountain. Each step they took was a painful reminder of the steps he had taken down the mountain toward Cornelia, which was what had started this whole thing.  
>They climbed wordlessly for nearly an hour. Everyone focused on their goal ahead of them.<br>Suddenly, Ryet stopped.  
>"What is it?" asked Link.<br>"Nothing." said Ryet. "Go on without me. I want to investigate something I saw in the basin." he said.  
>"We're almost there. Are you sure?"<br>"I'm positive." he said before walking back down the path.  
>Link looked at Axel, who shrugged.<br>They continued up.  
>Finally, they reached a sort of palace. A grand entrance welcomed them, but the place was dark, and it seemed empty.<br>A voice rang forth.  
>"Do you come with the powers of light or the powers of darkness? Do not lie, for I can sense it."<br>"We come with light!" said Link.  
>There was a pause.<br>"Enter."  
>They strode into the castle.<br>They entered a cathedral-sized room, with a round stained-glass window high on the wall. Two thrones stood at the end of the room.  
>In one of them sat an old man. He had long black hair, steamed with grey, tied in a ponytail. Scars covered his face, but he looked powerful. He had a metal Keyblade sitting beside him, but an ethereal one was in his hands, at the ready.<br>"Who are you, and what business do you have in the Land of Departure?" he asked in a deep gruff voice.  
>"I- I am Link. These are my companions Axel, Demyx, Exsan, Sean, Rega, Malon, and Xemyli. We heard that you have much knowledge on the subject of the Keyblade. We seek your guidance."<br>The man stared at him.  
>"Who told you I was here?"<br>"His name is Ryet."  
>The man's eyes widened a fraction of an inch for the briefest of moments before his face returned to impassiveness.<br>"Yes, I am well-versed in Keyblade-lore. Do you know where it is you are?" he asked.  
>"No, sir."<br>"You stand in the Land of Departure. This was where many pupils once studied how to properly handle the Keyblade. After a certain test was passed, that person may be considered a Master. I myself am a Master. My name is Xehanort. What is it you seek to know?" he asked.  
>Link looked directly at him.<br>"Master, one of my greatest friends had his body stolen by one of my greatest enemies."  
>"What were their names?" asked Xehanort.<br>"My friend is Rytex and my enemy is Ganondorf."  
>A peculiar expression crossed Xehanort's face. His eyes widened in unmistakable surprise.<br>"Rytex! And Ganondorf!" he said.  
>"Y-yes. Why are you surprised? Do you know them?"<br>"Know them? Better than that. Do you know who Ganondorf is?"  
>"He's the wielder of the Triforce of Power, and he wants to rule the world." said Link.<br>"More than that. Ganondorf is the fusion of one of my pupils and one of my best friends. I taught a boy named Panadorf many years ago. Master Ganon was my friend, but he became steeped in darkness and sought to bring about another Ruin and Creation. So he caused Panadorf's heart to be steeped in darkness before assuming control of it."  
>Xehanort shook his head sadly.<br>"Thanks to the efforts of one of my other pupils, Panadorf's memory was erased. The new creation, Ganondorf, has no idea who he is, but apparently, Master Ganon's personality is starting to show. We cannot allow him to gain full control. Can you please relate to me the full details of what has transpired in relation to this event?"  
>Link nodded and launched into an explanation about everything that had happened since their return to Hyrule, including the part about Bahamut's death.<br>When he reached that part, Xehanort was completely thunderstruck.  
>"Bahamut's been killed!" he shouted.<br>Axel nodded.  
>"Yeah. Ganon decided to stab him with the Blood Sword."<br>Now Xehanort was downright horrified.  
>"The BLOOD SWORD!"<br>Link knew something was dreadfully wrong now.  
>"What's so special about it?"<br>"Do you know why it's called the Blood Sword?" he asked.  
>"No." said Link, confused.<br>"That sword has the power to absorb the magical energy of whatever it kills. As long as blood is spilled over it, the wielder gains any power the victim had. And what's more, it was Bahamut who was killed by it. This means Ganon now has the power of Mega Flare."  
>"Mega Flare?" asked Demyx, slightly confused.<br>"Mega Flare was Bahamut's most powerful attack. It would launch a blue fireball of such stunning and overwhelming energy that whoever fought it wouldn't stand much chance of surviving. Ganon has started to become much more powerful. However, he told you Rytex had vanished from the Ultimate Darkness?"  
>"Yeah. He said that Rytex had found a host or something."<br>Xehanort closed his eyes momentarily.  
>"What are you-" stared Link, but another voice filled the room.<br>"Don't question him while he's doing this." said Ryet, stepping into the room.  
>"Why?" asked Link.<br>He couldn't help but notice that Ryet looked different than any time Link had seen him.  
>Ryet was usually cheerful, and a little laid back, even in battles. Now, he was serious, with a powerful gaze focused intently on Eraqus.<br>"He is trying to find Rytex. Or, more specifically, who Rytex is hiding in." he said.  
>"How?" asked Axel.<br>"By looking for me."  
>"What?"<br>This caused a lot of confusion.  
>Ryet sighed.<br>"I suppose I had better start from the beginning, or rather, the most basic." he said, holding a hand out.  
>There was a flash of light and a Keyblade appeared, though he held it in a strange way, in a back-hand grip rather than like a normal sword.<br>Link had semi-expected this, so he wasn't totally surprised by it.  
>"I have been able to wield one since I was a boy. I took on an apprenticeship to a Master from a young age and I studied under him for four years. The master I studied under was Master Ganon." he said.<br>Everyone made cries of shock at this.  
>"Yes. I studied under him. Eventually, there came a point in time where he began to teach me how to balance my heart. However, the darkness in me was beyond my control. He tried to teach me to control it, but then something went wrong."<br>He coughed briefly, then continued.  
>"When he discovered how powerful the darkness inside of me was, he told me he was going to remove it from me. So he took his Keyblade and extracted the darkness inside of me, but it was so powerful that it took form. It became a person."<br>"Rytex." said Xehanort, without opening his eyes.  
>Ryet nodded.<br>"So Rytex is the embodiment of the darkness that was inside me. Or I should say, he was. Now, after Master Ganon's mistake, Rytex fled, and I lost my memory for a time. It was then that Master Ganon brought me to Master Xehanort. I was trained under him. Soon, I reached the rank of Keyblade Master with the help and the companionship of Panadorf. We both made the rank of Keyblade Master and we were both given assignments to aid countries that would play an important role in the world's future. I would aid Cornelia, and Panadorf would aid Hyrule. He grew familiar with the boy who would later become the first King of Hyrule, Gustaf. While he was there, he encountered trouble with containing the Darkness inside him, but Master Ganon was able to help him temper it.  
>Eventually, a rift grew between Master Xehanort and Master Panadorf because of his darkness and Master Xehanort's devotion to light."<br>A corridor of darkness opened at that very moment.  
>And out stepped RytexGanondorf.  
>They all were stunned and pulled out weapons.<br>Link reached for the Master Sword, but instead drew the Keyblade he had received.  
>Ganondorf looked delighted by the discovery that he could use the blade.<br>"Excellent. It seems you may very well serve a purpose in my plans."  
>He held his hand out and his Keyblade appeared. It was silver, with a relative X-shape to it.<br>"My plan now is to open the Door to Ultimate Darkness. To do that I need the χ-Blade! I need a soul of light who can wield the Keyblade to do battle with, one that is equal to me in ability. However, you are not powerful enough yet, young Keyblade user." he said to Link.  
>"What?" asked Ryet. Suddenly he looked a little afraid.<br>"Yes. Of course I mean you, Master Ryet. Once you find Rytex's soul, you'll be forced to assimilate him, which means I'll be there to fight you once you have regained your light. As I have Rytex's body and his power of darkness, you will absorb his light and we will do battle!"  
>He laughed for a moment.<br>"But of course. I must wait for Xehanort to finish scrying Ryet. And I'll handle the explanation now. See, Ryet left out a few details, perhaps not on purpose. And I only just regained my memory, so I can fill in the gaps." said Rytex-Ganondorf with an evil grin.  
>"Master Ganon!" shouted Ryet.<br>Rytex's body vanished, replaced by that of an old bald man with a white beard, with a few sparse hairs of red. His edges were blurred and he looked like the Ganondorf spirit that Link had fought, though his appearance was that of Master Ganon's.  
>"See, after Panadorf and Xehanort squabbled over Xehanort's petty devotion to light and Panadorf's choice to balance himself, a message came to Xehanort. Apparently, I had been kidnapped by someone who left the codename Χ. Panadorf and Ryet came to my aid. Χ turned out to be Rytex, whom I had created while training Ryet. He had been too weak to access his darkness, so I brought it out and gave it form, and it took the name Rytex, adding an X to his name as a reminder that he was created to fuse with Ryet in the future to forge the χ-Blade. He served as my pupil, creating tests for Panadorf."<br>Ryet was glaring at Master Ganon with fury in his eyes.  
>"When they arrived at the Badlands to attack me... No. I will just show you."<hr>

**R&R, as usual.**


	5. The Gathering

**If you have seen the video of Birth by Sleep that was a secret trailer at the end of KH2FM+, you'll probably see some familiar elements.**

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><p>Chapter 5: The Gathering<br>He waved a hand through the air. Everything around them vanished. They were standing in the middle of a vast wasteland.  
>Countless Keyblades that were solid were stuck into the ground around them.<br>"There they come." said Master Ganon, pointing a finger at two figures approaching. One was wearing armor that Link recognized as Ganondorf's, but his hair was brown. Link guessed he was Panadorf The other was Ryet, dressed in a black cloak with his hood down, exactly the same way Rytex was dressed normally.  
>They stopped in the center of a crossroads created by the field of Keyblades.<br>"There I come." said Master Ganon.  
>A hazy figure approached the group.<br>"Master Ganon!" shouted Ryet from below.  
>As he came into focus, Panadorf bared his Keyblade.<br>"Something's wrong. Ryet! Draw your Keyblade!" he said.  
>Ryet bared his.<br>A shape detached itself from Master Ganon and resolved into Rytex wearing a sinewy suit of black and red. His eyes held a malice Link had never seen in them before.  
>Panadorf seemed to realize everything.<br>"They're on the same side! Ryet, it's a trap!"  
>Rytex charged at Ryet.<br>Panadorf jumped in the way and blocked a shot Rytex threw at him. Rytex had a Keyblade that was red and blue with a cog shape for the teeth. A blue eye with a vertical pupil was set in the center of the cog, as well as at the bottom of the Keyblade's body. Another cog shape comprised the handle, but it was open, allowing a cylinder for Rytex to hold the Keyblade by was inside.  
>Rytex swung his Keyblade in a backhand style at Ryet, which Ryet blocked.<br>The two began to exchange blows while Panadorf ran at Master Ganon. When he was close to him, he jumped at him.  
>Master Ganon watched him come, then reissued his fingers and raised his hand. A wall of earth blocked Panadorf, who crashed into it.<br>Then another wall of earth rose by it. Master Ganon was raising himself up into the air.  
>Rytex had leapt up to this platform, then dove down at Panadorf, shooting lightning at him. Panadorf was too slow to react and got electrocuted, but he was still alive.<br>Ryet ran up to him, checked to see if he was okay, then charged after Rytex.  
>Rytex and Ryet exchanged blows, but neither was able to get an advantage. Finally, Rytex kicked Ryet away and held his hand out toward the myriad of Keyblades stuck into the ground.<br>A number of them flew into the air and formed a sort of snake, which Rytex jumped on and rode as it shot through the air, chasing Ryet. Rytex shot ice magic at Ryet over and over, but failed to hit all times. Finally, Ryet launched himself up onto Master Ganon's cliff.  
>At this point, Master Ganon and Panadorf were exchanging blows with each other, but Master Ganon seemed to be playing with Panadorf.<br>Finally, Master Ganon kicked Panadorf off the cliff. As he fell, Ryet appeared behind Master Ganon and tried to behead him, but Master Ganon vanished.  
>Master Ganon appeared behind Ryet and grabbed him by the head, holding him up above the ground. Panadorf saw what was happening and was about to jump up when Rytex leapt down next to Master Ganon and bared his Keyblade in a threatening manner.<br>Panadorf could do nothing but watch as Master Ganon first set Ryet aflame for a few seconds, then encased him in ice.  
>Panadorf let out a wounded groan.<br>Then Master Ganon dropped him. Ryet fell down, occasionally bumping into the wall of rock, but nothing on him was broken off.  
>Then he raised his hands. A great door appeared behind him. A Keyhole with a glowing Χ was in the center of the door. Master Ganon smiled in content.<br>When Ryet finally landed, he slid to a stop next to Panadorf, who knelt and held Ryet up next to him.  
>Ryet's eyes flicked back and forth to show that he was alright.<br>Panadorf sighed in relief, then jumped up to the top of the cliff to face both of them. Ryet, meanwhile, started to try to break the ice by moving around inside.  
>Panadorf fought both Rytex and Master Ganon, but without much success. After nearly five minutes of total stalemate, Master Ganon looked down at Ryet and saw that Ryet was thawing.<br>"Go now!" he shouted.  
>Rytex nodded and jumped down Panadorf was about to chase him, but Master Ganon appeared in front of him.<br>"Yes! Release your anger at the helplessness of the situation! Only if you defeat me can you go and save your friend Ryet! And you will only defeat me by opening your heart to the Darkness inside you!"  
>Panadorf was enraged. Black flames flew off of him. Master Ganon watched in utter glee.<br>Then Master Ganon raised his hand and darkness weaved itself around Panadorf, binding him in place.  
>Then he held his Keyblade up and stabbed himself in the chest with it.<br>But no blood came out. Instead, an orb of light flew out of Master Ganon's chest and flew into his hands. The Keyblade vanished.  
>Then Master Ganon shot the orb at Panadorf just as the darkness that had bound him in place vanished. He was unable to react quickly enough.<br>The orb passed into his chest, and Master Ganon vanished in a shower of light.  
>Panadorf grabbed at his head and screamed, before falling onto the ground hard and laying there, twitching.<br>His brown hair turned red. His eyes went from an earthy brown to amber. Then he stood up.  
>He smiled and laughed. The voice that issued from his mouth was one Link recognized, for he had fought against this man. Ganon and Panadorf had combined to form Ganondorf.<br>"This heart belongs again to Darkness. All worlds begin in darkness. And all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it. It grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness from whence it came." he said calmly. Then he bared his Keyblade, which was the same Master Ganon had used.  
>He strode to the edge of the cliff and looked down.<br>Ryet had succeeded in freeing himself from the ice. Now he and Rytex were fighting. Ryet fought with much power, but then, just as Rytex looked like he was about to win, having trapped Ryet with darkness like Master Ganon had done to Panadorf, but Ryet let out an explosion of light. The darkness binding him vanished and Rytex was stunned by the blast. Ryet went over, then seemed to contemplate the matter as he looked down upon the unconscious Rytex.  
>Then he removed his Keyblade and stabbed Rytex with it, and the same thing happened to Master Ganon. An orb of light flew out, but it didn't go into Ryet.<br>Ryet also did the same thing to himself. He then pushed both orbs together, attempting, no doubt, to reform himself. Instead, the two orbs remained combined for a few seconds, then shot apart again. One went into Rytex's chest, and one into Ryet's. Then Ryet appeared disappointed. He put his hand on Rytex's head and muttered a few words, then got back up. Then he put his hand on Rytex's chest, and Rytex vanished.  
>Then he looked skyward, toward Panadorf and his mouth fell open in horror. He must have deduced what had happened.<br>Then he shot himself up toward Ganondorf.  
>"Panadorf?" he called as he landed.<br>"No. I am not him. I am Ganondorf."  
>Ryet bared his Keyblade. Ganondorf bared his.<br>They charged at each other, but Ryet seemed stronger than he had been before the fight against Rytex. He was able to defeat Ganondorf easily.  
>Ganondorf began to open himself up to darkness.<br>A creature shot out of the darkness he was channeling and sat behind his back. It was pure black, with navy blue veins around it. An X was formed out of white strips of cloth that bound its mouth. The creature's yellow eyes glared at Ryet.  
>Then they began to fight. Ganondorf and the dark beast vs. Ryet.<br>Ryet was also able to defeat this new incarnation just as easily, and he seemed surprised by how easily it was done.  
>But the dark beast created a puddle in the ground that Ganondorf fell into.<br>He sank into the puddle before Ryet could stop him, then vanished.  
>"That puddle erased my memory." said Master Ganon next to Link.<br>They returned to the Land of Departure. Master Xehanort was done scrying.  
>And he looked at Master Ganon with slight distaste.<br>"Humph. I knew something was amiss. You were listening, weren't you."  
>"I was. I just got done giving them a history lesson. Now they know what happened at the Keyblade Graveyard on that day."<br>"You mean the War or the Gathering?"  
>"The Gathering."<br>"Humph. Well then. At least they know what it is you are after now."  
>"They knew it beforehand."<br>Then without warning, he vanished and Rytex appeared again. And before they could stop him, he lunged forward and stabbed Master Xehanort with the Blood Sword.  
>Master Xehanort looked at the blade with slight surprise, but he seemed to have expected it.<br>However, instead of vanishing into Darkness, he began to vanish into light.  
>"You will not profit from me in my death!" he shouted, grabbing Ganondorf by the cloak. Ryet had lunged forward, also grabbing Ganondorf. Ganondorf and Ryet vanished with the Blood Sword.<br>Then Master Xehanort said "He's in Sora, a boy from the Realm of In-Between!"  
>Then the light vanished and a shower of stars flew upward from the spot Xehanort had been.<p>

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><p><p>

**Noble sacrifices are so cliche. Anyway... R&R.**


	6. Return to Draco Peak

**Here we find more of a filler chapter than before. Be on the lookout for a major Zelda joke later on. It isn't hidden, so you ought to find it easily.**

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>Chapter 6: Return to Draco Peak<br>They spent the night in Regole, a town near the northern edge of the Thamasa Basin.  
>Regole was famous for its beer, and midnight found Sean, Exsan, Link, and Axel all in the town tavern, drinking away. They knew getting drunk would be a bad thing to do on their quest, but they couldn't resist.<br>"You know, I think we could stand to import this at Pravoka." said Axel.  
>"Axel, our tavern's awesome too." said Exsan somewhat indignantly.<br>"Yeah, it is, but this beer's got more hops flavor. You know what I'm saying?"  
>"Hey Link. What's up?" asked Sean.<br>Link paused for a moment before replying.  
>"We're supposed to be looking for a way into the Realm of the In-Between. Bahamut said that the last pathway to the Realm of the In-Between was sealed a long time ago, and that it was inside Draco Peak."<br>"Well, I don't know what we're supposed to do. We'll return to Pravoka tomorrow and you'll get to see your girlfriend. She might have a clue on it."  
>"Ryet definitely would've had more than a clue. He probably sealed the door himself." said Link bitterly<br>"That is true." Sean said.  
>They were quiet for the next few moments, just listening to the tavern's people talking. Then something came to Link's mind.<br>"Do you think there's a way we can free Bahamut from the Blood Sword?" he asked.  
>"Doubt it." said Axel.<br>"You heard Master Xehanort. It stole his power. Also, if you described King Rolynd's vanishing correctly, he vanished in much the same way as Bahamut did. If we are able to rescue King Rolynd, we'd be able to rescue Bahamut." said Exsan.  
>"I sure as Hell don't want to save him after what he nearly did to us. And me personally."<br>"You said it was Ganondorf pulling the strings behind him, though, right?" asked Axel.  
>"Yeah. But he still was conscious. He knew everything that was happening."<br>"Oh yeah. What ever happened to Jura?" asked Axel, referring to the father of Fenwick, an unpleasant boy who had tried to have Link killed so he could have Malon.  
>"Last I heard, Jura arranged to move to Ordona. Haven't heard about him since."<br>"It's weird, isn't it?" said Sean.  
>"What?" they all asked.<br>"It's weird that this all started with Link eloping with Malon. Next thing we know, it's snowballed into an apocalyptic event. Funny how that works, isn't it?" he asked.  
>None of them more than Link knew the truth in those words. How strange it was that this had started when he had eloped with Malon nearly two months ago. And though only two months had gone by, it felt like it had been much longer.<br>"Oh yeah, and what about Talon and Ingo? How're they doing?" asked Axel.  
>Link had told them about the ranch owner and ranch hand also.<br>"Talon's fine. He approves of me dating Malon, by the way. Ingo got a better job. Now he's the manager of staff. The ranch kind of got bigger after we left. So now they're both happier. At least, Ingo is, but Talon agrees that I'd be a better suitor than Fenwick. I told him the truth the day after we defeated the King. He was forced to accept that Fenwick wasn't what he appeared to be after Zelda complied to speak of Fenwick also. So now, he's given us consent... to marry." he finished with a smile.  
>Everyone at the table was stunned.<br>"Link! That'd be amazing if you and Malon married!" shouted Axel.  
>"Yeah, no kidding!" concurred Sean.<br>"But... why now?" asked Exsan.  
>"How do you mean?"<br>"With everything that's going on, why get married now? Why not wait until it's over?"  
>Link smiled ruefully.<br>"I gave it a lot of thought along those lines. Now I realize that I might not live out this adventure of ours. So, I want to marry Malon so we can be married if I am to die."  
>"Do you have a ring?"<br>Link nodded.  
>"I hid it in my house. She won't find it. I know how she thinks. Anyway, it's 100% Cryonian gold. I had Vasu make it in Crescent Lake on the day we got there. He still hadn't smelted the gold we recovered in the mountain when we got trapped in it. I watched him make it. So, this ring has a double sort of meaning. Remember how she made me swear never to scare her like that again after we got out? Now this ring is both a commitment to marriage and a reminder to her that I'll never scare the hell out of her again."<br>They were laughing by the end of that.  
>"Ohh man. I gotta say. As serious as these issues are, it feels good to just take a night and relax." said Axel.<br>"Yeah, no kidding." said Sean.  
>Link checked the clock on the wall.<br>"We may want to head back. We'll be up early if we want to get back to Pravoka by sundown."  
>They agreed, paid for their drinks, then left.<p><p>

At dawn's first light, they were off. There wasn't much to do in the Thamasa Basin. Almost no plants grew, there weren't any stone formations to watch, and above all, there weren't any landmarks at all, except for the town of Thamasa itself at the center, for which the Basin was named.  
>They traveled through the town quickly, stopping only to eat lunch, then they turned southeast, toward the trail that led to Pravoka. Axel knew where it was since he had been forced to travel that path twice before. Once while returning from Narsche with a stock of coal, and once while running and hiding from Fenwick, who had tailed Axel to try to find where Pravoka was.<br>When they found the trail, they followed it quickly. The sun was beginning to set when they made it back to Pravoka.  
>Everyone went immediately to their homes except Link. He wanted to see if Ryet had a home in Pravoka. Link was sure he did, but didn't know where he lived. Axel was more than happy to point it out as a small house on the outskirts, near Draco Peak.<br>Link entered the house cautiously. It was a humble little room, with a bed and some simple living objects. Link figured Ryet could use magic to do all he needed other than that.  
>As he looked around, he soon found a small diary hidden in a bookshelf.<br>As he pulled it out, he noticed a pencil stuck in one page. He opened up the book.  
>"Do you always walk into other people's houses and look through their stuff?" came a voice he recognized.<br>Link jumped around so quickly he sent the book flying. Ryet raised a hand.  
>"Letta." he said.<br>The book stopped where it was and fell to the ground softly.  
>Link smiled.<br>"Think of it this way. At least I haven't smashed your pots for whatever currency you may have hidden in them."  
>Ryet smiled.<br>"I'll give you that."  
>"What are you doing back?"<br>Ryet pointed at Draco Peak.  
>"I'm here to give you a nudge in the right direction. Master Xehanort did find who Rytex was in, right?"<br>Link nodded.  
>"I know the person he's in is in the Realm of the In-Between. The only path to the Realm lies in Draco Peak. I sealed the door shut when last I ventured into the bowels of the mountain. The door can be unlocked, but obviously only with a Keyblade."<br>"So why else are you here? That can't have been it?"  
>"I'm also here to warn you about the Realm of the In-Between. That place is a little strange, but don't worry too much. There's a place called Destiny Islands there. It's the only town in this strange world. You may want to start there."<br>Without another word, he opened a portal that was white and strode through it.  
>Link stared at the spot Ryet vanished at. Where had he gone? Why was he so secretive all of a sudden?<br>He shook his head and returned to his house. Malon greeted him with a hug and a peck.  
>"So, is there any reason you all are back yet?" she asked.<br>"Yeah. We've traced Rytex to a boy in the Realm of the In-Between. Draco Peak has a portal to the Realm that we'll be going through."  
>"Sounds dangerous." she said as Link extinguished the lamps around the house.<br>"You have no idea."

At dawn, Link, Xemyli, Axel, Demyx, Exsan, and Sean were heading up the mountain.  
>Upon heading into it, they could see that there existed no trail to the bottom of the mountain.<br>"I'll handle this." said Axel.  
>He led them to the edge.<br>"Audr." he barked.  
>They all rose a few inches off the ground.<br>"Fram."  
>They began to fall down slowly toward the bottom. Then they landed. The body of some soul unfortunate enough to fall off lay nearby. Link walked forward to investigate. Then he scoffed.<br>It was Fenwick. His body was broken from the fall, and a relatively large amount of dried blood covered his face. He gazed toward the wall with empty, glazed-over eyes, an expression of fear etched on his face.  
>"What is it, Link?" asked Axel.<br>"Nothing. It's just Fenwick."  
>Axel nodded and they began to search around the mountain. They went through caves and passages, each one seeming to lead them to nowhere but dead ends.<br>As they again emerged into the main room, by chance Axel tripped over a small ledge in the ground.  
>"Damn it." he said as he got up, wiped some blood off his elbow, which he had skinned, then he stopped.<br>"Look at this!" he said.  
>The ledge he had tripped over bore the crude likeness of a keyhole.<br>Link stared at it.  
>Then he summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the shape.<br>A beam of light shot from the end of the blade and shot at the hole. The keyhole shimmered.  
>A door appeared in the wall. It was ornate, with gold shapes all over it. At the center of the door was a star shape.<br>"I'm guessing this is it." said Link, walking forward and seizing a handle on the door. He pulled and the door opened, revealing a large amount of light.  
>They all strode forward to enter.<p>

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><p><p>

**"Remember. You are the one who will open the door." I just love that line of Kingdom Hearts. Anyway, R&R.**


	7. Destiny Islands

**This chapter honestly almost turns this story into a KH/TLoZ crossover, but the universe of Zelda is the primary universe this takes place in. Anyway, the climax begins next chapter.**

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>Chapter 7: Destiny Islands<br>They emerged on a grassy plain. It was night out. They had emerged onto a crossroads. One road led off into the darkness. One led toward a collection of lights. One led to a sort of wasteland. One led toward an ocean.  
>"Which way should we go?" asked Axel.<br>A portal of darkness appeared. A man dressed in a black cloak stepped out. He had a hood up, hiding his face.  
>"Who are you?" asked Axel.<br>The man said nothing, nor gave any acknowledgement. He merely pointed toward the collection of lights.  
>"Is that the direction we're supposed to go?" Xemyli asked.<br>The figure nodded, still remaining silent.  
>They all started walking toward the collection of lights. All of them wondered why they followed the advice of this figure they hadn't met before, but none of them said it.<br>They followed the path. The lights resolved into a town. A star adorned a plain stone archway that signaled entry into the town.  
>Lanterns were at every few feet, but they seemed to not be lit by fire.<br>As Link and company walked into town, they looked around. They were searching for Sora, apparently a boy.  
>The people looked somewhat confused by their clothing. They stared openly at Link's Hylian attire, but not as much at Sean's, Exsan's, Demyx's, Axel's, and Xemyli's cloaks. They paid it no mind and found an inn, where they secured lodging for the night.<br>"Now, I find a bar." said Sean.  
>"Oh no you don't." said Exsan. "Not without me you don't."<br>They set off through the streets, looking for a bar to relax at that night.  
>Link went to wander the town. He simply aimlessly wandered around, looking for anything interesting.<br>Soon, he found a dock with a bunch of wooden rowboats on a beach. The sea stretched out endlessly in front of him. He also saw an island in the distance. A smaller island was connected to the main one by way of a semi-crudely built wooden bridge. It had a bunch of palm trees growing on it, as did the rest of the island. One tree seemed to grow out sideways from the island. Star-shaped fruit grew from it. A similarly built platform as the bridge was up on a part of the island, and a similarly built platform was near the middle. A waterfall cascaded down from the center of the trees.  
>Link decided to check it out.<br>He hopped into a rowboat and rowed over.  
>Upon landing at the island's own dock, he got off. The wind felt so good blowing against him, ruffling his hair. The air smelt lightly of salt. It smelled like it had when he had returned to Hyrule many months earlier, after being gone for seven years. The aroma was intoxicating.<br>A girl ran past him. She was young, with short wine-red hair and a white blouse. She looked at him with innocent blue eyes. They reminded him of Malon's.  
>"Hello." he said.<br>"H... Hi." she answered. She appeared shy.  
>"What's your name?" he asked, crouching down beside her.<br>"I'm... I'm Kairi." she said.  
>"Nice to meet you Kairi. I'm Link." he said.<br>Kairi smiled. It was such a childish, sweet, pure, innocent smile that it reminded Link of two people. He thought of Zelda, how she had reacted when he had first agreed to help her, and of Malon, when he had first met her and when he had tamed Epona as a child.  
>"Where did that time go?" he muttered. "What happened to those days?"<br>Kairi skipped off toward one of the other three boats that were tethered to the dock.  
>Two other boys were arguing over on the smaller island. One was taller, with long silver hair, a yellow tank top, blue pants, and gloves. The other was short, with spiky brown hair, a white shirt, and red pants.<br>Their backs were turned, but the silver-haired teen pointed to the sky. As Link strode over to them, he heard the boy say, in a surprisingly calm mature voice, "Supposedly, every star up there tells the story of someone's life. But you have to be older to know how."  
>"Why?" asked the other one.<br>"I don't know. It's probably hard to tell, and comes with experience."  
>"Aww man, I wish I knew how to do that."<br>Link sat and watched them. They reminded him of the Kokiri back home. It really reminded him of Mido. He and Link would sit together on top of tree houses and look at the stars, but then when Link got close to Saria, Mido got jealous.  
>As Link took a step forward, a tree branch snapped under his foot.<br>The two boys turned. The boy with long silver hair had eyes that were a piercing shade of blue. The other boy startled Link. His face was the spitting image of Ryet's and Rytex's.  
>Instantly, he knew he had found Sora.<br>He smiled and gave a little wave at the boys.  
>The silver hair raised an eyebrow, but Sora smiled and waved back.<br>Link heard the crunching of sand next to him and looked to see who it was.  
>His heart stopped.<br>Rytex-Ganondorf stood there.  
>And he was grinning.<br>"Found him, didn't you. I guess now we simply wait on our favorite Keyblade Master to get here." he said quietly.  
>The boys turned away again.<br>"It has been a long time since I returned home." he said.  
>"You lived here?"<br>"Once upon a time. I sought a way to travel into other worlds. Then the Keyblade chose me. With it, I was able to find my way into the Realm of Light and take on an apprenticeship."  
>He laughed a little.<br>"Oh, by the way, your Sage friends failed to execute the other Ganondorf. All they could do was banish him to the Twilight Realm. So, as long as he remains alive, I will be able to return if you destroy me in this body."  
>"How many realms are there?" he asked.<br>"Several. Light, In-Between, Darkness, Twilight, the list goes on."  
>"And a Keyblade Master can visit any of them?"<br>"No. Not since that fool Ryet sealed all the doors to each world."  
>"Humph. You wouldn't be able to get in and destroy them all."<br>Master Ganon growled.  
>"I don't want to destroy anything. When I am God, I'll remake everything as it was. I just want power."<br>"That power will destroy you."  
>"To the contrary. That power will give me life as I have never felt."<br>A portal of light appeared. Ryet stepped out of it. He took a look at the situation, then sighed.  
>"I guess it was inevitable that you would find him."<br>He walked forward to where the duo stood.  
>"I can already tell which one it is."<br>"Can you?" asked Ganon.  
>"Yeah. All he has to do is notice me. When he does, Rytex will stir inside him and bond with me. Then we'll defeat you, expel you from him, then expel you from Panadorf and kill you."<br>Ganon laughed.  
>"You believe that will do any good?"<br>"Of course I do."  
>At that moment, Sora and the other boy turned around and began to walk toward the boats.<br>As they passed the three of them, they looked at them, but Sora stopped upon seeing Ryet.  
>They stared at each other for several seconds, and then a glowing orb of light flew from Sora's chest to Ryet's.<br>Sora asked, "What just happened?"  
>Ryet said kindly, "A friend you have helped has now joined with me."<br>Master Ganon laughed.  
>"The time has come at last."<br>Then he held his hands up and the three of them appeared in the Keyblade Graveyard.

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><p><p>

**Time to begin the three-part climax. R&R.**


	8. ΧBlade

**Note that the chapter isn't X-blade. It is Chi-Blade. This is the first short chapter in the story. And it had to come in the climax. The next chapter is the shortest chapter, but it also isn't much of a pure climax chapter. The chapter after is where it really heats up. Anyway, enjoy the climax.**

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>Chapter 8: Χ-Blade<br>They stood on the same platform of rock Ganon, Rytex, and Panadorf had fought on.  
>Ganon held his hands up, producing a blue ball of fire and shooting it up.<br>A colossal door appeared in front of them.  
>Then strange hexagon shapes appeared around the edge of the cliff they were on.<br>"You cannot flee. Only fight." said Ganon, drawing his Keyblade.  
>Ryet drew his Keyblade and charged at Ganon.<br>Ganon shot fire at Ryet, but Ryet deflected it. Link tried to run forward, but an invisible force pushed him back.  
>"I have invoked the ancient rites for creating the χ-Blade! Do not interfere or you will lose your life!" shouted Ganon before raining a group of heavy blows down upon Ryet, all of which were blocked or deflected.<br>Ryet responded by creating a wall of lightning, then shooting a great blast of fire at Master Ganon. Ganon simply reflected the blast.  
>Ryet then charged at him and rained a score of blows on Ganon.<br>Ganon stopped all of them. Then he caught Ryet under the jaw, sending him flying backwards.  
>Ryet managed to flip around and land easily, just in time to ward off another attack from Master Ganon.<br>The two of them exchanged blows for several minutes. Neither could get an advantage over the other.  
>Master Ganon then raised his hand to the heavens. The golden Triforce of Power appeared on his hand.<br>"I will not be defeated by you!" he shouted, and rained many heavy blows on Ryet. Ryet could not block them all. One managed to destroy his defense, and the other sent him flying backwards. But Ryet shot forward and slashed through Ganon with such force, Link thought Master Ganon had to die from the attack.  
>But he did not. He simply stood there, shaking.<br>Then he was laughing.  
>"You've done it, boy!"<br>Ryet's eyes widened in horror as a circle of fire wrapped itself around the two of them.  
>An explosion of flame shot upward from the center, enveloping the two of them in it.<p><p>

Ryet and Ganon stood on a glass platform. Ganon had a strange weapon in his hands. It consisted of two Keyblades, joined at the guard, crossing. Filigree filled the gap between the guard of one and the blade of the other on both sides. A sword-like blade extended from where the X occurred.  
>"It shouldn't look like this. We have not entirely joined!" Ganon shouted.<br>The filigree on one side was missing in several places, the guard on one Keyblade lacked a side, and the blade was dull and cracked. It looked as if it was supposed to glow, but it didn't. Instead, it appeared dark.  
>"The fusion was incomplete. Very well, then. I shall defeat you in here and take the χ-Blade for myself!"<br>They charged at each other. Ganon raised the incomplete χ-Blade up to the sky and absorbed power. He swung at Ryet several times, missing all of them, before shooting an X-shaped burst of magic at him. Ryet dodged the blast.  
>Ganon was a strong fighter. He wasn't using Rytex's body in here. He was fighting as Ganondorf.<br>Ganon back flipped away from a slash Ryet threw at him and countered with a blast of energy that caught Ryet.  
>"Hmhmhmhmhm. You can't win. I have the χ-Blade. You have nothing to fight me with! Let the Darkness overtake you!"<br>A burst of darkness shot from him and surrounded Ryet.  
>The last thing he saw was Ganon laughing.<p>

Link watched as the dust settled.  
>Ryet stood there. But he looked different. His eyes were amber. He also wore a suit like Rytex had worn in the vision of the Gathering. And he held a sword-like blade in his hands. The blade consisted of two crossed Keyblades, joined at the guard. Filigree filled the gap between the guard of one and the blade of the other. A sword-like blade protruded from the actual X of the Keyblades.<br>It glowed brightly, and the filigree was glowing also.  
>Link knew Ryet had lost. Ganon had gotten the χ-Blade.<p>

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><p><p>

**Who didn't see this coming? R&R.**


	9. For the Future!

**If you do NOT think that it is a cheesy title, please stand up and say "Aye." I am aware that you are probably in a room full of people. Just do it. You'll feel good about yourself. See what I mean? (This is assuming that you actually did it) Enough from me. Just read the story.  
><strong>

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>Chapter 9: For the Future!<br>Link and Ganon charged at each other.  
>The χ-Blade and Link's Keyblade met with a loud clang. Ganon slashed at him with a series of quick strikes, each more powerful than the last, which pushed Link's ability to block them, to the limit. As Ganon managed to kick him away, he remembered Bahamut saying, "Only one with a heart in balance with Light and Darkness will have to fight him."<br>Link definitely knew his heart was made of more light than darkness. He stood no chance if he wanted to defeat Ganon.  
>He lunged forward and managed to stab Ganon with the Keyblade, releasing someone from him.<br>The orb entered his heart, whereupon he felt a flood of darkness. But it was Rytex. However, Ganon still had Rytex's body.  
>"You need Darkness, so I'll give you a boost in it."<br>But even with Rytex's darkness, it wasn't enough. Link was still not in balance. His light was simply too strong, as the wielder of the Triforce of Courage.  
>"Hahaha! I fear you will not survive this encounter, Hero!"<br>Ganondorf then held out the χ-Blade in one hand and the Blood Sword in the other.  
>Link saw it coming and was almost too late to shout a protection, but he did it.<br>"SKÖLIR!"  
>Ganondorf swung the Blood Sword down, though he was out of reach. Instead, a great blue orb of fire shot out of it. Ganondorf was using Mega Flare to try and defeat him. The shield he used managed to block the blow.<br>"Hm? You are strong, to be able to block that, Hero."  
>Ganondorf shot another one at him.<br>Instead of blocking it, Link shouted "Letta!" and Mega Flare stopped.  
>"Thrysta!" he countered, sending the great flaming ball at Ganondorf, who looked unconcerned.<br>He smacked the ball of fire back at him with the χ-Blade. Link repeated the sequence multiple times, stopping, then sending Mega Flare back at Ganondorf, only to have Ganondorf smack it back at him. The Mega Flare was gaining power with each added occurrence of the sequence.  
>Finally, Link sent the ball at Ganondorf again, but as Ganondorf was about to counter, Link called out "Thrysta Vindr!"<br>Green wind shot from his hand toward Ganondorf's leg. Ganondorf, who was concentrating on the great ball of fire, didn't notice it, until the wind blew Ganondorf's feet out from under him.  
>The flare exploded upon contact with Ganondorf.<br>Link shot forward and rained down a score of hits with his Keyblade before Ganondorf could recover, but none of them did anything.  
>Ganondorf released a shockwave of darkness when he recovered.<br>Link was blown to the edge of the cliff, sliding toward the end of it.  
>Then he slid off, but he caught the edge with his hand.<br>As he clung on for life, he saw Ganondorf walk over to him and look down on him hanging there, an evil grin on his face.  
>"This is the end, Hero! You have irked me far too long! And now, I will end you. It was always Power's destiny to triumph over measly Courage. Return to the Darkness from whence you came!"<br>He lifted an armored foot.  
>A black blur shot from nowhere toward Ganondorf, tackling him to the ground.<br>Link was surprised, then managed to pull himself up.  
>The black-cloaked figure from earlier was wrestling with Ganondorf on the ground.<br>But he obviously wasn't a match for the wielder of the Triforce of Power.  
>Ganon kicked him off, then pinned him.<br>"Let me see who postponed the Hero's doom."  
>He yanked the hood down.<br>Both Link and Ganondorf gasped.  
>There, on the earthen pillar, was King Rolynd.<hr>

**Did anyone see that coming either? R&R.**


	10. The Silent Beyond

**NO EXDEATH JOKES! That is rule number 1. I toyed with naming the chapter Guardando nel Buio after the music that takes place when you fight World of Chaos (which is basically what the beast is in this chapter) in KH1.**

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>Chapter 10: The Silent Beyond<br>Rolynd let out an explosion of energy to take advantage of Ganon's distraction.  
>Ganon was sent flying off the edge of the pillar.<br>As he fell, Rolynd straightened up, dusted himself off, and nodded curtly to Link, who was still gaping at him.  
>"You have to stop him. My heart is filled with the power of Darkness. I'll lend you my strength until you have destroyed the χ-Blade. Then you have to get out of the Realm of the In-Between. The goddesses have offered me this last chance at redemption. I will stall him if I can. Get out of here and go to the town. Get your friends and get out of this realm, and seal the door behind you."<br>"Hahahahahahahaha!"  
>Ganon's laugh reached them just as he floated up to their level, not bearing even a scratch from the fall.<br>"Truly this was unexpected. I thought I had absorbed your power, but I guess not."  
>"You did. But the goddesses freed me and offered me the chance to atone for my crimes while I bore your spirit and the Triforce of Power."<br>Ganondorf snorted.  
>"You will not be able to atone. I banish you to the Ultimate Darkness. To the Silent Beyond!"<br>An orb of darkness appeared in Ganondorf's hand and flew at Link.  
>Before either of them could react, it had engulfed them.<p><p>

Blackness as far as the eye could see.  
>"Behold the endless abyss." rang out Ganondorf's voice as Link, Rytex, and Rolynd looked around.<br>"Look as hard as you are able. You will not find one glimmer of your pathetic light. You will forever walk in Darkness, and I will open the Door and create the Worlds anew!"  
>He laughed.<br>"Darkness conquers all worlds!"  
>A great beast appeared.<br>It looked like a ship, strangely. A face was on the front of it. It had no neck, but the face didn't seem to be what controlled the beast. A strange jelly-looking object in the center of an open area of the beast looked like its Heart. It was under a sort of mezzanine, held up by two branches of the skin of the creature. A force field protected it from anything that tried to enter and destroy it.  
>Rytex and Rolynd were sent flying into a portal of darkness by swipes from a massive black beast that seemed attached on the back of the creature.<br>Attached to the great black beast was Ganondorf. He was attached by strange cords plugged into his back.  
>He bore a double-sided Keyblade that Ganon used.<br>Link withdrew his Keyblade and charged at Ganondorf.  
>Ganondorf, it seemed, could do little. Link attacked him with his Keyblade, but seemed to do little to no damage.<br>However, after a time, Ganondorf blasted Link away, then crossed his arms across his chest and sank back into a hollow in the black creature's chest. A portal of darkness appeared.  
>Link flew through the air at it, dodging a swipe from the black creature, then into it, not knowing where it would take him.<br>Inside, he saw Rytex, suspended in the air, held before a glowing blue orb.  
>Link freed Rytex, then cleaved the thing in two.<br>It exploded, spitting them back out.  
>They now looked at the main chest. Strange, tentacle-like appendages sprouted along the two branches that held up the chamber in which the Heart of the Beast was.<br>They shot magic blasts at Link and Rytex, who simply went about, destroying them.  
>Finally, after destroying them, another portal appeared.<br>They flew in. They entered a room the same as before, only Rolynd was held up.  
>They freed him and destroyed the core, then were expelled.<br>The Face was now vulnerable. They flew at it and slashed and hacked.  
>Just like with Ganondorf, no physical damage would be done. However, with time, the Face too was defeated.<br>As it was defeated, it assumed a contorted position, with the portal being opened in its mouth.  
>They flew in. Ryet was held in there. They rescued him, then destroyed the core.<br>The Heart of the Beast was now able to be attacked.  
>The force field surrounding it had vanished.<br>They all ran at it, and began to hack and slash at it. Within seconds, it was destroyed.  
>The four felt themselves rise upward.<br>Ganondorf came out of the hollow in the Black Beast's chest and bore his double-sided Keyblade.  
>But they all lunged forward and stabbed or slashed at him.<br>He was defeated.  
>The beast began to explode. When it finally did, the light blinded them for several seconds.<p>

They were outside on the earthen pillar.  
>Ganondorf was gasping and clutching his side. Blood spurted from it. He glared up at them with hatred.<br>Ryet stood next to Rolynd, who stood next to Link. Rytex's spirit could be felt inside him.  
>Rolynd put a hand on his shoulder and channeled Darkness into Link until he was balanced.<br>Link strode forward with his Keyblade and slashed at the χ-Blade, shattering it.  
>Ganondorf let out a yell of rage. Darkness healed the wound in his side as he jumped up.<br>"Get out!" shouted Rolynd as he leapt forward and attacked Ganondorf.  
>Link and Ryet nodded.<br>Ryet grabbed Link's arm and pulled him off the cliff. They fell down several feet before Ryet stopped them with "Letta."  
>After steadying, he said "Gánga Fram!"<br>They shot forward at a tremendous speed away from the Keyblade Graveyard.  
>When they got to the town, they hurried and found everyone. After convincing them of what had happened, they all started running back to the crossroads as fast as they could.<br>When they arrived at it, Ryet revealed the passageway out with the use of his Keyblade.  
>The door appeared and they began running through it quickly.<br>Ryet and Link were last. They could see Ganondorf flying in their direction, hotly pursued by the cloaked figure they knew was Rolynd.  
>Ganondorf had a look of absolute fury on his face.<br>Then, just as he was about to reach them, Rolynd grabbed him and shouted "We shall both go to the Ultimate Darkness!"  
>Ganondorf vanished in a cloud of black fire, but Rolynd vanished in a shower of stars.<br>Ryet and Link were stunned, but exited through the door hastily.  
>Once they were safely in the depths of Draco Peak once again, Ryet and Link sealed the door, which once again, vanished into the rock wall.<br>Everyone was taken aback when they found out that it was King Rolynd, who had fought against them only a few weeks ago, who had allied himself with them against Ganondorf.  
>"Is it over? Is Ganondorf completely gone?" asked Axel.<br>"Not a chance." said Ryet.  
>"He'll come back. We'll be there to meet him when he does. But I managed to rescue Rytex, at least his spirit, from Ganondorf. We still will need to rescue his body."<br>Xemyli nodded. She looked content with the news that her husband was now residing in Link.  
>"Are you going to stay in Cryonia? Or are you going back to Hyrule?" she asked.<br>"I'm going back to Hyrule. There's something going on that only a couple of you know about."  
>He pulled out a golden ring from his pocket. The ring sparkled, even in the darkness of the cave, which Link knew was Vasu's doing. He was a magician also.<br>The gem was a diamond. It was Hylian imported, courtesy of Zelda. She had gone so far as to enchant the gem to where, if she wore her ring, then no matter how far apart, in whatever worlds they were in, Link would be able to know where Malon was and if she was safe.  
>At the sight of the ring, everyone but Sean, Exsan, and Axel exploded.<br>"Link, that's great!" squealed Xemyli, now focused on them, but Link knew it was to take her mind off of the fact that she still wouldn't be seeing Rytex for a long time.  
>"When is it?" asked Demyx.<br>"Have you already proposed?" inquired Ryet.  
>Even inside, he felt Rytex's satisfaction and heard his thoughts.<br>"Finally."  
>"We're going back to Hyrule because the wedding will probably be better for her if it were at her home. She and her father have forgiven each other for what happened with Fenwick, so I think Talon should be present."<br>It felt good to know that, in the distant future, where they knew Ganondorf would return somewhere along the line, that there would be one last golden day of peace.

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><p><p>

**Now I look back, that ending sounds a lot like the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but fear not! The story is not over. The climax is, but not the story. R&R.**


	11. Return

**This chapter serves as a filler more than an actual plot line, but it is still semi-major to the plot. Master Eraqus makes an appearance here, since I just felt it would be appropriate after switching him out for Master Xehanort. Even in appearance. Anyway, time to begin the denoument of the story. This story seems about as long as my other stories, now I compare.  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 11: Return<br>A few days later found the group of them waiting at the port at Cornelia. Princess Sara, Cyan Garamonde, and even Master Eraqus, Link's old friends from his first trip into Cryonia, some years ago.  
>Link was traveling in his old green tunic and Malon was wearing her white farm dress, with a purple sash held together with a medallion shaped like a monster's head. They waited for the boat, hand in hand, each acutely aware of the new ring on Malon's finger.<br>A small vessel sailed up. Three people dressed in black cloaks like the one Rolynd had worn stood near the starboard side of the ship, one with rope and two with a gangway.  
>Two had their hoods up, and the one with the rope had his hood down. He had black hair reaching down in front of his grey eyes halfway. He waved at Link as the ship started to cruise into the port.<br>"Now!" came the call, and the three men leapt ashore, two laying the gangway and the unhooded man tying the boat down.  
>"Rinzler!" Link said in surprise.<br>Rinzler, the unhooded man, grinned.  
>"Due to our part in helping you guys beat Rolynd, those of us in the Red Phoenix gang received a full pardon for previous crimes against her majesty."<br>"Are you still the Red Phoenix gang?" asked Malon.  
>"Not anymore. All of us received dishonorable discharges for cock-and-bull reasons while Jura and Fenwick had some hold over the King. I, for example, refused to make him my First Mate when he served on my ship in the Navy. He left when I was discharged. Soon after, we founded the Red Phoenixes. Anyway, I was restored to the Navy. I am now a Commodore, and the rest of the Phoenixes were bumped up a rank from where we were fired. So, I got Commodore, and I got my ship back. Most of the Phoenixes who weren't very high are serving with me since we trust each other. Others serve as Captains or other high ranks. It pays much more than Black Market did, I might add." he said with a bit of a laugh.<br>"So, are you our ride home?"  
>"Yep. We'll be there in four days. This ship got enchanted by Sorcerer Teryn when it was built. It is designed for troop transport and speed, so we'll be there very quickly compared to you walking."<br>Link picked up his pack and crossed over as Malon got her stuff also. Only a few people would journey with them to Hyrule. Sara, Axel, Demyx, Sean, Exsan, Xemyli, and Ryet would go with them to be at the wedding. Rega would stay.  
>They cast off within the hour.<br>Two days in, Link asked to speak to Ryet privately.  
>"Rytex said he was a Sheikah, that's what he told me when we started bonding. How is that possible?"<br>Ryet sighed.  
>"I'm Hylian by birth. Over the years, my distance from Hyrule's magic caused my ears to revert to rounded ears."<br>He moved back his hair so Link could see. There was a very slight point, but almost unnoticeable.  
>"I am part Sheikah. My mother was. My father was Hylian. When Rytex was created, he took the darkness inside me. When I gave him some of my light, he became his own personality, but he completely forgot everything. A few years ago, his original self started coming out again. So I remixed our power. He received a greater light, but still retained his darkness. When he woke up, he remembered nothing at all again. Technically, he is a Sheikah. He has all the power of shadow that they should have. Since he's from me, he's Hylian and can have the Triforce. When the plan to give the Triforce to someone not Zelda happened, I planted the memory in Rytex that he was Impa's cousin. Technically, she's my seventh cousin, eight times removed. She knows who Rytex is. I had to explain it to her."<br>Link nodded.  
>"When the wedding's over and done, where are you going to, to wait?"<br>Ryet contemplated the matter.  
>"I am going to stick around for a little bit, maybe visit my parents' graves in Kakariko Town, then I'm going to the Land of Departure. Master Xehanort taught me something that will come in handy when Master Ganon returns."<br>Two days later, they made landfall. They landed in Harbor Town. A small greeting party was there to meet them. Foremost among them was Princess Zelda, who let out a squeal of delight when Malon flashed her ring.  
>They embraced like old friends. Link saw the group of guards he had captured and who had helped get them into Hyrule. They were now Princess Zelda's personal guard.<br>Link walked past them, looking to see if Talon was there.  
>He was.<br>At the sight of Link, he walked over. Link told him immediately that he and Malon were engaged.  
>Talon broke into a wide grin and embraced Link.<br>"It's about time." he said.  
>Impa and Ryet spoke over by a store.<br>Link looked over at Sean and Exsan and burst out laughing. They were looking between two taverns, torn. Axel joined them and they played rock-paper-scissors to decide which to enter.  
>To celebrate the engagement, Link and the others joined them.<p>

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><p><strong>One chapter to go. R&amp;R.<strong>


	12. The Beginning

**This is the final chapter. I felt it would be appropriate to end the story on a note like I ended it in WATBHE, where it offers a little cliffhanger-preview into the next story. Thanks for reading, but hurry up and finish the story so you can wait for Part 3.**

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>Chapter 12: The Beginning<br>The days leading up to the wedding were the best of times for Link. He had already bought a house to live in. Malon was still staying at the ranch until they were officially wed. Link's Best Man would be Rytex, but Ryet would represent. Malon's Maid of Honor would be Xemyli.  
>During the three months in which they waited, Link explained what had happened since to Zelda and Impa.<br>Zelda looked surprised when Link mentioned her father and the role he played in the events.  
>"But how did he get out? If he was in the Realm of Darkness, how did he get out?"<br>"He said the goddesses offered him one last chance for redemption. Either way, he vanished into light when he banished Ganon to the Ultimate Darkness. However evil he was before, he redeemed himself in the end. And the end is what matters."  
>Link met with everyone from Cryonia the day before the wedding.<br>"Where are you all going to go when we've tied the knot?" he asked.  
>"I'm going to Cornelia." said Xemyli.<br>Link was taken aback.  
>"Princess Sara is close to you as a friend, Link. When Ganon returns, he'll want retribution for you destroying the χ-Blade. If he doesn't try to kill you or Malon first, Sara will undoubtedly be the first to be attacked. I promise I will protect her while I am there."<br>Axel and Demyx would go back to Cryonia. Exsan and Sean would delay in Narsche. That was their old hometown. They were going to visit their parents and families before returning to Cryonia.  
>The next day could not have come slower. Link and Malon were anxious, but ready to start their new life together.<br>At the beginning of the wedding, Link sat up by the altar they had erected at Lon-Lon Ranch and waited for Malon and Talon to come out.  
>Inside, Talon was about to cry with joy. His little girl had grown up.<br>They opened the door.  
>Everyone silenced and rose as Malon, clad in a white dress with a veil covering her face strode slowly up the aisle.<br>Zelda stood behind the altar, with a huge smile on her face. Ryet stood next to Link, also looking happy.  
>Xemyli by Malon.<br>When she reached the front, Talon walked back down to the front row and sat next to Ingo.  
>"Welcome and be seated." said Zelda.<br>Everyone sat.  
>Zelda began the wedding with a story of how the two of them met, as well as how they slowly got together, but she left out the end of the world plot that was afoot.<br>"The time has come, you two. Link, I ask you now. Do you take Malon to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"  
>Link drew himself upright and said with obvious pride.<br>"I do."  
>And do you Malon take Link to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, with health being the less likely," there was some laughter, "till death do you part?"<br>Malon then drew herself up too.  
>"I do."<br>They slid the wedding rings onto each other's fingers, then knelt, holding both of the other's hands.  
>Zelda took a ribbon that was on the altar.<br>She wrapped it around their hands and tied it.  
>"As the Princess of Hyrule, I have bore witness to these confessions. I pronounce you man and wife!"<br>The cheering was loud, but Link and Malon only had eyes for each other.  
>"You may kiss the bride."<br>Link lifted the veil and they kissed. When it lasted longer than a second, Axel called "Get a room you two!"  
>Everyone laughed again.<br>Link and Malon rose up and held their hands up to the sky, a symbolic gesture asking the goddesses of their favor. If wind blew the ribbon off, the goddesses would bless it.  
>The wind picked up and the ribbon flew off into the audience, whereupon Axel and Demyx engaged in a tug-of-war over it. The other part of the legend said that whoever caught it would have their next relationship blessed also.<br>The day was perfect, and Link wondered how such a perfect world would ever be spoiled by Ganon. It was then and there that he decided that, if the world contained days this perfect, he would stop Ganon no matter the cost.

Ganon floated in the endless darkness. It would not give him strength here. He was in a separate realm of darkness. It seemed he was in the Realm of Nothingness.  
>He floated there, unable to move. He did not know if minutes or hours had gone by or months, or even years.<br>Surely there had to be a way out.  
>He did not even know if he still held the power of the goddesses.<br>"Meddlesome king!" he shouted to the nothing around him.  
>His anger and rage built up.<br>He could feel power, but he had tried to use it before. It never worked.  
>He simply sat there, stockpiling his power.<br>Finally, when he felt that he had enough, he released it in a burst.  
>Nothing happened.<br>He was disappointed, but he would find a way to get out of here soon.  
>And when he did, the world would be his.<br>But first, he had to remove those obstacles. Now that Rytex had been freed, the darkness that had belonged to him that Ganon had stolen had returned to him. He needed another being to use as his symbiote for the χ-Blade.  
>But who?<br>He thought long.  
>And the answer came in a glorious stroke of inspiration.<br>What better person to bond with than the one who had defeated him?  
>He smiled to himself.<br>He would find him and take the χ-Blade for himself.  
>And after Link was out of his way, no one would be able to stop him.<p>

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><p><p>

**I apologize for the cramped lines of text. Every time I saved it in the Edit/Preview Document, it reverted back to single-spacing. Anyway, thanks for reading. To be continued in Part 3: Ruin and Creation.**

**Oh, and before I forget, REVIEW!  
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